Elsie’s board game brings Blue Peter fame

Tom Burton

A young inventor has won a silver Blue Peter badge for her board game based on the show’s guide dog, Iggy.

Elsie Cobb, 11, appeared on the iconic BBC programme to meet the presenters and show-off the game she made during her summer holidays.

Elsie Cobb, 12, appeared on the iconic programme to meet the presenters and show-off the game she made during her summer holidays.'The game is based on Blue Peter dog Iggy and asks players to buy treats for him as they work their way around the board. PNL-141112-114251001

Players work their way around a Monopoly-style board and each have ‘money’ to buy treats for Iggy such as dog food and a tennis ball.

It earned Elsie her silver badge and an appearance on TV, where she explained how the game works to presenters Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya.

Issy, who goes to Buckingham Primary School and lives in Maids Moreton, said: “I was quite amazed that I had been on there.

“It didn’t really seem like it was live at the time. But it was really good and I met some nice people.

“You have to get around the board by buying things for Iggy. They liked it so much and my friends who watched it said they thought I was really good on there.”

Elsie has made other board games based on the ancient Egyptians and countries of the world for school.

But it was her Iggy-themed game which means she can now proudly display her silver Blue Peter badge in her bedroom.

Elsie has in fact been awarded four other Blue Peter badges - the blue, purple, green and sport badges - which she wore on her top for her TV appearance.

She was welcomed on to the Blue Peter set by Radzi who described the game as ‘genuinely fantastic’.

Lindsey, who held Labrador/retriever cross Iggy by her leash while she spoke to Elsie, said: “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculously good.

“We couldn’t believe how good this was when we saw it earlier. It’s actually brilliant, thank you.”

Elsie was invited to media city in Manchester where Blue Peter is filmed live and travelled north with mum Angela and dad Daniel.

She was given the VIP treatment and even had her own green room where she could chill out in between rehearsals.

Guide dog Iggy was born in April and has made occasional appearances on the show for viewers to see her progress.

She is being trained to get used to the sights, sounds and smells that are found in an everyday home, such as the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine.

Follow Iggy’s progress on Blue Peter, which is on CBBC each Thursday from 5.30pm.